Don't worry about how many to the frame. Question is how many frames are covered with busy bees?You want to house a 3 pound package in a full deep or medium.On the other hand if you have a nuke that has all frames covered, drawn comb.etc, it's time to go to a full size box.

You should have bees continue to hatch from the nuke for almost two weeks before any start hatching from the package. If more space is not given where will these bees go? :)doak

Correction,Bees continue to hatch for nearly "4" weeks, not two. in the nuke.Thank you., doak

If you purchase a nuc - how many bees are there on a typical deep brood frame (# of bees/frame of brood)?

thanks for replies.

Mikewhat one needs to remember about nucs is that you are also geting frames of brood-one frame of brood makes two frames of bees-of course the advantage is time when comparing the two -is the reason you asked to compare the number of bees from nuc to a package for some sort of value repersantion-RDY-B

Actually, curiosity mostly. I am going to make up nucs this spring by purchasing frames of brood/bees from a local commercial beekeeper and then ordering queens separately (to arrive around the time I get frames). For what I am budgeted to spend, I can make up five 3-frame nucs (which I would prefer), or three stronger 5-frame nucs.

Since the 'standard' size for starting out a colony is a 3lb package, I was curious to know how the different sized nucs would compare (that is, does making more, 3 frame nucs have a significant disadvantage in terms of numbers of bees as compared to the standard 3lb package - or should I be safe and do all 5 frame nucs).

Excellent string folks.. I am purchasing my first year bees in the form of Nuc's and I had not thought of what to look for. Not that I am worried I am purchasing from a verified and trusted source but still good knowledge. Nice avatar Finski. I am a Maine Native

Are we counting bees or cells? Worker or drone cells?There would be a difference. Besides, How do you keep an accurate count with the bees moving around. Glad some ones ability is better than mine. Wouldn't even attempt to count the bees. :)doak

Are we counting bees or cells? Worker or drone cells?There would be a difference. Besides, How do you keep an accurate count with the bees moving around. Glad some ones ability is better than mine. Wouldn't even attempt to count the bees. :)doak[/quote

Awesome topic. I have wondered this myself. You could take a pic of a frame loaded with bees, print it, divide the pic into so many sections. then count, times by sections times two, and have a good idea. Yes there are top bottom and sides. you can figure this out to. You could also take a loaded frame and shake it and weigh the bees.

Either way It is definitely a good selling/buying point to know how many bees are on a frame and in brood if you sell nucs or buy them.

However M.B. came up with the figure, Im sure it is close enough for the girls I deal with.

So how about brood then. If a deep frame had every cell capped with worker brood on both sides, how many would that be? I know I could figure it out but asking is easier. LOL.

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